ML101890929
| ML101890929 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Indian Point  |
| Issue date: | 07/06/2010 |
| From: | David Lew Division Reactor Projects I |
| To: | Blanch P - No Known Affiliation |
| Barkley R S/RGN-I/ORS/610-337-5065 | |
| References | |
| Download: ML101890929 (2) | |
Text
July 6, 2010 Mr. Paul Blanch
[HOME ADDRESS DELETED UNDER 10 CFR 2.390(a)]
Mr. Blanch:
This letter is in response to your email of June 8, 2010, to Mr. Richard Barkley and others at NRC Region I. We appreciate your email regarding recent operating experience you were aware of regarding two natural gas pipeline accidents and subsequent associated fires that occurred in Texas. In that email, you asked us whether the Indian Point site was capable of dealing with this type of event as evidenced recently during the two Texas natural gas line accidents.
The NRC maintains awareness and assesses plant operating experience that may be applicable to the nuclear industry. The NRC communicates significant operating experience to licensees through generic communications and requires specific responses when warranted. Based upon our review of the publically available information regarding the events you reference in your email, there are currently limited technical details regarding the accidents. At this point, we are not aware of information that would warrant further review by the NRC, specific to previous safety conclusions made in regard to external hazards posed by the natural gas lines present at the Indian Point site.
Licensees are responsible for maintaining plant safety and security, including consideration of operating experience to their sites. The licensee for the Indian Point plants has completed evaluations of the gas lines that traverse the owner controlled area. If there are changes that affect the conclusions of evaluations as described in their licensing basis, the licensee is required to evaluate such changes in accordance with 10 CFR 50.59, Changes, Tests, and Experiments.
This process, in the context of hazards related to gas lines near nuclear facilities, was addressed in Information Notice 91-63, Natural Gas Hazards at Fort St. Vrain Nuclear Generating Station.
We also wanted to emphasize that some NRC or licensee reviews regarding this subject area, and its applicability to external hazards analysis at nuclear facilities, may be considered sensitive information. NRC policy regarding SUNSI (sensitive unclassified non-safeguards information) is not to share this information unless that person (including NRC personnel) has established a need-to-know basis for the information for conducting official business. Therefore, licensee evaluations and further reviews by the NRC involving hazards analyses related to the presence of natural gas lines at the Indian Point site would not be available for public discussion with you.
Sincerely,
/RA/
David C. Lew, Director Division of Reactor Projects Region I
2 Mr. Paul Blanch
[HOME ADDRESS DELETED UNDER 10 CFR 2.390(a)]
Mr. Blanch:
This letter is in response to your email of June 8, 2010, to Mr. Richard Barkley and others at NRC Region I. We appreciate your email regarding recent operating experience you were aware of regarding two natural gas pipeline accidents and subsequent associated fires that occurred in Texas. In that email, you asked us whether the Indian Point site was capable of dealing with this type of event as evidenced recently during the two Texas natural gas line accidents.
The NRC maintains awareness and assesses plant operating experience that may be applicable to the nuclear industry. The NRC communicates significant operating experience to licensees through generic communications and requires specific responses when warranted. Based upon our review of the publically available information regarding the events you reference in your email, there are currently limited technical details regarding the accidents. At this point, we are not aware of information that would warrant further review by the NRC, specific to previous safety conclusions made in regard to external hazards posed by the natural gas lines present at the Indian Point site.
Licensees are responsible for maintaining plant safety and security, including consideration of operating experience to their sites. The licensee for the Indian Point plants has completed evaluations of the gas lines that traverse the owner controlled area. If there are changes that affect the conclusions of evaluations as described in their licensing basis, the licensee is required to evaluate such changes in accordance with 10 CFR 50.59, Changes, Tests, and Experiments.
This process, in the context of hazards related to gas lines near nuclear facilities, was addressed in Information Notice 91-63, Natural Gas Hazards at Fort St. Vrain Nuclear Generating Station.
We also wanted to emphasize that some NRC or licensee reviews regarding this subject area, and its applicability to external hazards analysis at nuclear facilities, may be considered sensitive information. NRC policy regarding SUNSI (sensitive unclassified non-safeguards information) is not to share this information unless that person (including NRC personnel) has established a need-to-know basis for the information for conducting official business. Therefore, licensee evaluations and further reviews by the NRC involving hazards analyses related to the presence of natural gas lines at the Indian Point site would not be available for public discussion with you.
Sincerely,
/RA/
David C. Lew, Director Division of Reactor Projects Region I cc:
N. Salgado, NRR S. Turk, OGC D. Wrona, NRR M. Gray, RI, DRP SUNSI Review Complete: bb (Reviewer=s Initials)
DOCUMENT NAME: G:\\DRP\\BRANCH2\\Correspondence\\Response to Mr Blanch 3.doc ML101890929 After declaring this document AAn Official Agency Record@ it will be released to the Public.
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